Federal investigation of fatal accident at B&B Lumber in DeWitt likely to take months

DeWitt, NY – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s review of a fatal accident Monday at a DeWitt lumber company will take several months to complete, the federal agency’s Syracuse area director said today.

Thomas O. Pelton, 35, of Camden, died Monday while he was changing blades on a machine at B&B Lumber Co., 4800 Solvay Road, DeWitt. A co-worker started the machine without realizing it. He was unable to turn it off before Pelton was fatally injured, DeWitt police said.

OSHA’s review of the accident began Monday and could take up to six months to complete, Area Director Christopher Adams said. The examination will be painstaking because the accident resulted in a death, he said.
“We’re going to review the scene,” Adams said. “We’re going to conduct witness statements, we’re going take photos and review machineries and try to get an understanding of exactly what happened.”

The agency then will examine whether any OSHA standards are in place that could have prevented the accident. If officials believe they have sufficient evidence they can issue citations, Adams said.
Adams said the ongoing investigation prevented him from discussing details of the accident.